MAP: Google Just Revealed A Bunch Of New Cities That Might Get Google Fiber, The Ultra-Fast Internet

Take a good look at that map.
Is your city on it? If so, you're in the running to get Google
Fiber, Google's fantastic TV/Internet service.

In
a blog post, Google's Fiber team says it's planning an
expansion. Right now it's figuring out which town will get Fiber:
"We’ve invited cities in nine metro areas around the
U.S.—34
cities altogether—to work with us to explore what it
would take to bring them Google Fiber."

Google Fiber is a rival to
traditional Internet providers like Comcast, and
Verizon.

For $70 a month, Google offers 1 gigabyte per second download
speeds. That's 10 times faster than the fastest Internet
connection Comcast offers. And Comcast charges $90 a month for
its top Internet connection.

Don't want to pay a monthly bill? Not a problem with Google
Fiber. If you pay a $300 installation charge, you'll get Internet
at a slow speed, 5 megabits per second.

A few years ago, analysts visited Kansas City where Fiber was
first installed. They raved
about it.

Google says it will be working with various towns to figure out
where it makes sense to deploy Fiber:

We aim to provide updates by the end of the year about
which cities will be getting Google Fiber. Between now and then,
we’ll work closely with each city’s leaders on a joint planning
process that will not only map out a Google Fiber network in
detail, but also assess what unique local challenges we might
face. These are such big jobs that advance planning goes a long
way toward helping us stick to schedules and minimize disruption
for residents.

We’re going to work on a detailed study of local factors
that could affect construction, like topography (e.g., hills,
flood zones), housing density and the condition of local
infrastructure. Meanwhile, cities will complete a checklist of
items that will help them get ready for a project of this scale
and speed. For example, they’ll provide us with maps of existing
conduit, water, gas and electricity lines so that we can plan
where to place fiber. They’ll also help us find ways to access
existing infrastructure—like utility poles—so we don’t
unnecessarily dig up streets or have to put up a new pole next to
an existing one.

While we do want to bring Fiber to every one of these
cities, it might not work out for everyone. But cities who go
through this process with us will be more prepared for us or any
provider who wants to build a fiber network. In fact, we want to
give everyone a boost in their thinking about how to bring fiber
to their communities; we plan to share what we learn in these 34
cities, and in the meantime you can check out some tips
in a
recent guest post on the Google Fiber blog by
industry expert Joanne
Hovis. Stay tuned for updates, and we hope this news
inspires more communities across America to take steps to get to
a gig.